Ilocos election chief tapped as new Comelec commissioner

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed Noli Rafol Pipo — the Commission on Elections' regional director in the Ilocos region — as the poll body's new commissioner.

This completes the reconstitution of the seven-member commission ahead of the May elections after the retirement of two commissioners earlier this month. 

Comelec Chairperson George Garcia announced Pipo's appointment on Monday, February 10, hours after naming Ma. Norina Tangaro-Casingal as a new commissioner.

Both Pipo and Tangaro-Casingal are lawyers.

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A Comelec official since 1993, Pipo started as an election officer in Bangued, Abra before rising through the ranks to become Ilocos regional director — a position he has held since 2006.

Pipo will serve in the Comelec's Second Division, replacing Commissioner Marlon Casquejo who retired on February 2. 

His term will expire in 2032, according to appointment papers signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin.

Garcia said Pipo will take his oath on Wednesday.

The two recent appointments fulfill Garcia's earlier call for the president to tap "insiders" or career officials to fill the commission's vacancies, citing the urgency of having experienced commissioners in time for the 2025 national and local elections.